Some more exploring

Well, it's Wednesday now, and I have been here for five days. I have done some more exploring, and I've expanded my comfort zone to a little over a square city block. In that square city block, I have found several more sculptures, a mcdonalds!!!, and I've seen some more interesting things. Here are some pictures!

Another sculpture (these are everywhere!)

A little snowman display outside of "The Mall". It is supposed to be the snowman from the movie "The Snowman" based on book by Raymond Briggs. I remember that movie from back in the day!

My adventure to McDonalds - this is the pedestrian bridge that crosses above a busy street.

A few buildings that are lit up. These are really bright, but my camera didn't really show it well.

We made it!

This is my friend's Bic Mac. It's wrapped in cardboard, then wrapped in paper!

This is a delivera vehicle in Korea! What a good idea! It's these guys that you see driving along the sidewalk and weaving through traffic! No wonder they get to your place so fast!

That is all of the pictures for now. I'm sure I will be taking many more! I always have my camera with me.

School

I have been at the school now since Saturday. For Monday and Tuesday, I have done observations. Today is also an observation day, and then I start to teach on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it, because I will actually be teaching in my own classroom. Last year I taught for 13 weeks in total, but I always had an associate teacher with me. I really appreciated the associate teacher's advice, but after 13 weeks I think I am ready to "spread my wings" and take on my own classroom.

I will have to tell you what that was like when I teach tomorrow. I will also take some pictures (if I remember) today of the school.

They do some things differently here in terms of teaching. They have a pretty strict time-management schedule that you have to follow. You have to do certain things at certain times throughout the lesson. I think I might tweek it just a bit. For example. They have a homework check at the beginning of class, followed by a shared story reading, and then a quiz about the story. Then they have grammar until the end of the lesson.

From what I've seen, the teachers just jump right in to the story readings or grammar lessons. I think I will use what we call a 'hook' at teacher's college. Something that grabs their attention and is more interesting / fun than the content. It's also known as the "Engage, Study, Activate" method. They seem to just jump into the Study section of it, without engaging the students first.

Anyway, there will be lots of stuff that I try out, and hopefully it works. Also, I plan on using "manipulatives" or "props" if you will. I think that students remember things better when they have something they can see to go along with what they're learning. I have to teach the words itch and itchy for example, and I am going to bring in my scarf. You know, things like that.

Alright. I am going to go now. Like I said, I will try to take pictures of the school today.

Thank you for all your comments!